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Modern Furnaces with Reduced Energy Consumption

Dr. Peter Schobesberger, AICHELIN Heat Treatment Systems, Livonia, USA

Abstract

Increasing energy prices and the vision to modernize the Heat Treating Industry within the next two decades mandates the need for higher energy efficient furnaces. Currently, the average operating efficiency within a majority of heat treatment operations in North America is relatively low when compared to their European counterparts. This translates to energy consumption values in excess of 8.5 times more than theoretically required. Due to higher energy costs in Europe (especially the last decade), there have been proven technology concepts developed, which allow savings of up to 45% in natural gas for heating. The primary steps to gain these benefits are to utilize modern recuperative burners, improved wall design and enhanced charging and discharging technologies to reduce the protective gas consumption. An additional potential of 15% energy savings may be realized within the next decade by application of newer technologies under development. The economic evaluation illustrates that investing in energy efficient technologies maximizes a vital return on investment in times of volatile energy prices.

Introduction

"Vision 2020" for the Heat Treating Industry is a clear guideline for the next two decades on achieving transformation of a formerly perceived low technology operation to a modern component of the fabrication and material processing industry. Greater awareness for efficiency and environmental protection are essential elements to this transformation. A reduction of 80% in energy consumption and improvement of insulation is explicitly mentioned in this vision. This paper will examine the potentials for energy savings, starting from a prominent industrial standard in North America. Energy awareness has always been a conscious priority in Europe due to the significantly higher costs for natural gas and electricity. Figure 1 illustrates a comparison between the natural gas prices over the past several years between the United States and Germany. Significant is the rapid increase in the year 2000 which re-ignited the discussion for improving energy efficiency through sound investment within viable technologies. The recent data appears to validate the ongoing investments in energy efficient technologies, subsequently illustrating a significant return on capital. Higher energy costs justify sound energy strategies towards maximizing heat management. This has been an integral part of furnace design strategies in Europe for years and has become an unavoidable reality in the North America.